We Cheer 2 Hands-on

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Upskirt shots confirmed.

By Greg Miller

OK, big news: there are male cheerleaders in We Cheer 2. You can't put them in midriff-revealing tops like their female counterparts, but you can put them in sleeveless shirts. One of the greatest tragedies in gaming has been resolved.

Yes, Namco Bandai let me pick up the virtual pom-poms again last night for the sequel to September 2008's music/rhythm title. If you missed the original We Cheer, the basics of this game involve you holding a Wiimote in each hand and following the onscreen motions as if you were strutting your stuff on the sidelines of a high school football game. The right Wiimote needs to follow the red actions on the screen, and the left one follows the blue. The motions are basic stuff such as a clockwise circle, diagonal lines, and the like. When you make a motion, the game lets you know if you were too fast, "cool," or way off.

Bring it on -- again!

Basically, it's the same basic gameplay from the first game, but more bells and whistles have been added in. Obviously customizing your squad is a big deal, so you can go in and add spirit stickers to their faces, use sliders to change their hair color, and so on. In the same vein, the background music that plays during your routine is a hefty part of the equation and We Cheer 2 is going to have 30 new tracks for you to rock out to. Sadly (or awesomely depending on how you slice it), the demo I got to play only had Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" and Toni Basil's "Mickey." There are also 20 stages in this rendition of the title, but the demo only had the school track field and a river ride amusement park stage. Just like the last game, the visuals were bright, cheery, and colorful.

You'll be able to play with and against friends, but you'll also be able to burn calories in Exercise Mode and take your team to the top in Championship Mode. Look for more on We Cheer 2 as we move toward the fall 2009 release date.